JP7189949B2 - Methods, Systems, and Programs for Accessing the Gateway Management Console - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to improvements to computer systems, and more particularly to gateways used to configure the Internet of Things (IoT) by facilitating access to the gateway's management console.

As IoT develops and a large number of devices are connected to one or more IoT cloud servers, the functionality of IoT gateways becomes even more important. An IoT gateway communicates data between a cloud server and multiple endpoint devices in an IoT setting. For example, the gateway aggregates sensor data, converts between sensor protocols, and processes the sensor data before sending it onward and to the server. Using protocol scores, connectivity models, and energy profiles, as well as the highly distributed nature of IoT systems, gateways manage and control these complex environments. IoT gateways perform multiple important functions such as device connectivity, protocol conversion, data filtering and processing, security, updates, and management. In one or more examples, the IoT gateway also acts as a platform for application code that processes data and becomes an intelligent part of the device-enabled system. An IoT gateway is considered to be at the intersection of edge systems--devices, controllers and sensors, and the cloud. Therefore, managing the IoT Gateway itself is an important aspect of managing an IoT setup. Management of the IoT gateway is performed using a management console.

Provide a method, system and program for accessing the gateway management console.

According to one or more embodiments, an exemplary computer-implemented method for configuring a gateway in an Internet of Things (IoT) system includes accessing an IoT system management console by a gateway resolver. receiving a request to do so, the request including access information associated with a gateway of the IoT system, the request being sent by an administration device. The method further includes determining, by the gateway resolver, the IP address of the gateway based on the access information. The method further includes obtaining, by the gateway resolver, a management console URL based on the IP address. The method further includes redirecting, by the gateway resolver, the administration device to the management console URL in response to the request.

According to one or more embodiments, an example system includes a memory device and a processor coupled to the memory device, the processor providing access for a gateway in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. solve information. The processor is to receive a request to access a management console of the IoT system, the request includes access information associated with a gateway of the IoT system, and the request is sent by an operation management device. Do what you do. The processor further performs determining an IP address of the gateway based on the access information. The processor further performs obtaining a management console URL based on the IP address. The processor further performs redirecting the administration device to the management console URL in response to the request.

According to one or more embodiments, a computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium embodied with program instructions, the program instructions instructing a processor to access a gateway in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. Executable by a processor to resolve information. The processor is to receive a request to access a management console of the IoT system, the request includes access information associated with a gateway of the IoT system, and the request is sent by an operation management device. Do what you do. The processor further performs determining an IP address of the gateway based on the access information. The processor further performs obtaining a management console URL based on the IP address. The processor further performs redirecting the administration device to the management console URL in response to the request.

According to one or more embodiments, an example gateway resolver device includes a data repository for storing mappings between gateway identifiers and corresponding gateway IP addresses. The gateway resolver further includes a processor that receives a gateway resolution request including the gateway identifier, the gateway resolution request being received from the operations management device. The processor further determines a gateway IP address corresponding to the gateway identifier using the data repository. The processor further generates a URL using the gateway IP address to provide an access location to the management console of the gateway, where the URL is associated with the gateway identifier, and the processor transmits the URL to the operations management device.

According to one or more embodiments, an exemplary method for resolving access information for a gateway in an Internet of Things (IoT) system includes, by an operations management device, a quick response key associated with the gateway. Scanning a code, the quick response code including the gateway identifier and the first URL of the gateway resolver. The method is, in response, sending, by the administration device, a request for resolving the IP address of the gateway to the gateway resolver via the first URL, the request including the gateway identifier. further comprising: The method further includes determining, by the gateway resolver, an IP address corresponding to the gateway identifier using the data repository. The method is to generate, by the gateway resolver, a second URL using the IP address, the second URL providing an access location to the management console of the gateway associated with the gateway identifier. further including The method further includes receiving, by the administration device, the second URL from the gateway resolver. The method further includes adjusting settings of the gateway through the management console by the administration device.

The examples described throughout this document may be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

1 illustrates a cloud computing environment, according to embodiments of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates an abstract model layer, according to an embodiment of the invention; 1 illustrates an example system for accessing a gateway management console of a gateway in an IoT system, in accordance with one or more embodiments; FIG. 1 illustrates an example system in accordance with one or more embodiments; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example method for accessing a management console of an IoT gateway, in accordance with one or more embodiments; 4 is a flowchart of an example method for configuring a gateway in an IoT system, in accordance with one or more embodiments; 4 is a flowchart of an example method for accessing a management console of a gateway in an IoT system, according to one or more embodiments;

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to associated drawings. Alternate embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. Various connections and relationships (eg, above, below, adjacent, etc.) are noted between elements in the following description and drawings. These connections and/or relationships may be direct or indirect, unless otherwise specified, and the invention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Correspondingly, linkages of entities may refer to either direct linkages or indirect linkages, and positional relationships between entities may be direct or indirect positional relationships. Additionally, various tasks and processing steps described herein may be incorporated into a more general procedure or process having additional steps or functionality not described in detail herein.

The following definitions and abbreviations are used for the interpretation of the claims and specification. As used herein, "comprising", "comprises", "includes", "contains", "has", "has", "includes" or "includes" ", or any other variation thereof, is intended to include non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, mixture, process, method, article of manufacture, or apparatus that includes a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements and is not explicitly listed or that such compositions, mixtures, processes, It may include other elements specific to a method, article of manufacture, or apparatus.

Moreover, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms "at least one" and "one or more" may be understood to include any integer greater than or equal to 1, ie, 1, 2, 3, 4, and the like. The term "plurality" may be understood to include any integer greater than or equal to 2, ie, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the like. The term "connection" may include both indirect "connection" and direct "connection".

The terms "about", "substantially", "approximately" and variations thereof are intended to include the degree of error associated with the measurements of the specified quantities based on equipment available at the time of filing of this application. be done. For example, "about" can include ±8%, or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

For the sake of brevity, the prior art relevant to making and using aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detail herein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specific computer programs that embody various technical features described herein are well known. Accordingly, for the sake of brevity, many conventional implementation details are only briefly set forth herein or fully described without providing details of well-known systems and/or processes. Omitted.

The technical solution described herein facilitates accessing IoT gateway management, such as a user interface (UI) console, especially when the IoT gateway is not physically accessible. For example, an IoT gateway may be a relatively small device such as a single board computer like the RASPBERRY PI™, or any other such device. Typically, the software, such as the operating system (OS) of the gateway, provides administrative tasks such as initial configuration of the IoT device and connection setup between the gateway and the IoT cloud server, such as a web UI. provides a UI for To access the gateway administrative UI, an output device such as a computer monitor and an input device such as a keyboard and/or mouse are connected to the gateway to log into the gateway OS and to run the gateway's administrative UI. Directly plugged in.

However, due to its small size, or for any other reason, the gateway may be configured using physical ports of the gateway, or by plugging a device connector into the gateway, or any other such physical port. In a similar fashion, it may be placed in a location that is not physically accessible for physical connection to other devices. Alternatively or additionally, a gateway may not have ports for physical connections to other devices external to the gateway. Thus, technical difficulties exist in accessing the physically inaccessible gateway's management console to plug in I/O devices. The technical solution described herein addresses the technical difficulty by using a uniform resource locator (URL) resolver server. Therefore, the technical solution described herein facilitates accessing the management console of IoT gateways that are physically inaccessible, thus allowing the use of smaller and cheaper devices like IoT gateways. Improve IoT systems by facilitating. Small devices further improve the efficiency of IoT systems, as such devices that do not provide physically pluggable ports may use less power. Moreover, in one or more examples, the technical solution further reduces the cost of IoT systems by not needing to use dedicated I/O devices for IoT gateways.

The technical solutions described herein may be implemented using cloud computing in one or more examples. Although this disclosure includes detailed discussion of cloud computing, it is to be foreseen that implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to cloud computing environments. Rather, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing provides configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, A model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of applications, virtual machines, and services). This cloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models.

The properties are as follows.
On-demand self-service: Cloud consumers unilaterally allocate computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, automatically as needed without requiring human interaction with the service provider. can supply.
Broad network access: Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms facilitating use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). be.
Shared Resources: Provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically allocated and reassigned according to demand . Consumers generally do not have control or knowledge of the exact location of resources provided, but can specify locations at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or data center) In that respect, there is a meaning of position independence.
Rapid scalability: Capabilities can be quickly and elastically supplied to scale out on the fly, and released quickly to scale in on the fly, possibly automatically. To the consumer, the capabilities available for supply often appear unlimited and can be purchased in any amount at any time.
Services are measurable: Cloud systems measure resource usage by leveraging metering capabilities at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g. storage, processing, bandwidth, active user accounts). automatically control and optimize Resource usage is monitored, controlled and reported to provide transparency to both providers and consumers of utilized services.

The service model is as follows.
Software as a Service (SaaS): The capability offered to consumers is to use the provider's applications running on the cloud infrastructure. Applications are accessible from a variety of client devices through thin client interfaces such as web browsers (eg, web-based email). Consumers do not own the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings. Do not manage or control.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): Consumer-provided capabilities allow consumer-created or consumer-acquired applications devised using programming languages and tools supported by the provider to be delivered to the cloud.・It is to deploy on the infrastructure. Consumers do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but they do have control over deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The capabilities offered to consumers are processing, storage, networking, and other basics that allow consumers to deploy and run any software, which can include operating systems and applications. It is to provide computing resources. Consumers do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but do have control over the operating system, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limitations on select networking components (e.g., host firewalls) control.

The deployment model is as follows.
Private Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is operated exclusively for an organization. A cloud infrastructure may be managed by the organization or a third party and may be on-premises or off-premises.
Community cloud: A cloud infrastructure is shared by multiple organizations and supports a specific community with shared concerns (eg, missions, security requirements, policies, and compliance considerations). A cloud infrastructure may be managed by the organization or a third party and may be on-premises or off-premises.
Public Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or large industry associations and is owned by an organization that sells cloud services.
Hybrid cloud: The cloud infrastructure remains a unique entity, but through standardized or proprietary technologies that enable data and application portability (e.g. cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds) A composite of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that are combined.

Cloud computing environments are service oriented around statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary cloud computing environment 50 is shown. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes local computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) or mobile phones 54A, desktop computers 54B, laptop computers 54C. , or vehicle computer system 54N, or a combination thereof, with which it may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with each other. They may be physically or virtually grouped within one or more networks, such as private, community, public, or hybrid clouds as described above, or combinations thereof (not shown). This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure, platform, or software, or a combination thereof, as a service that does not require cloud consumers to maintain resources on their local computing devices. Become. The types of computing devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 1 are intended to be exemplary only, and computing nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can be any type of network or network-addressable. It is understood that one can communicate with any kind of computerized device via a connection or both (eg, using a web browser).

Referring now to Figure 2, a set of functional abstraction layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (Figure 1) is shown. It should be foreseen that the components, layers, and functions shown in FIG. 2 are intended to be exemplary only, and that embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As shown, the following layers and corresponding functionality are provided.

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include mainframes 61 , reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture-based servers 62 , servers 63 , blade servers 64 , storage devices 65 , and network and networking components 66 . In some embodiments, the software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68 .

Virtual layer 70 is an abstraction layer in which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers 71, virtual storage 72, virtual networks 73, including virtual private networks, virtual applications and operating systems 74, and virtual clients 75. I will provide a.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functionality described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement of computing and other resources utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and pricing 82 provides cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment and billing or billing for consumption of those resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides not only protection for data and other resources, but also identity verification of cloud consumers and tasks. User portal 83 provides consumers and system administrators access to the cloud computing environment. Service level management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such that required service levels are met. Service level agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provides pre-positioning and procurement of cloud computing resources where future requirements are anticipated according to SLAs.

Workload layer 90 provides an example of the functionality with which the cloud computing environment can be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions that can be provided from this layer include mapping and navigation 91, software development and lifecycle management 92, virtual classroom teaching delivery 93, data analysis processing 94, transaction processing 95, and gateway URL resolution 96.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system 100 for accessing an IoT gateway management console in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The system includes, among other components, one or more application devices 110, routers 120, gateways 130, application servers 140, administration devices 150, gateway resolvers 160, and gateway identification data repositories. repository) 170.

Application device 110 and application server 140 together implement an IoT-based system/application. Application device 110 transmits data to/receives data from application server 140 in order to implement an IoT-based system. An IoT system may be any system/application such as monitoring/controlling one or more parameters by an application device 110 using one or more analytics performed by an application server 140. good. Application devices 110 may also be referred to as IoT devices, devices such as sensors, sensor controllers, for example, thermostats, security systems, home automation devices, production line automation sensors, warehouse automation devices. system, an autonomous vehicle sensor system, or any other device used in an IoT-based system. It should be noted that the examples of application devices 110 listed above are only a few of the various possible application devices 110 that may be used in other embodiments.

Application server 140 is a computer server that receives data being monitored by application device 110 , analyzes the data, and sends one or more adjustments made by application device 110 . For example, if the IoT system is a temperature regulation system, the application server 140 may increase (or decrease) the monitored temperature based on analysis of data collected by the application device 110 (e.g., thermostat). ) to cause the application device 110 to change the settings of the climate control system. In other examples, the application device 110 may monitor different parameters, and the application server causes the application device 110 to change such different parameters.

Application device 110 and application server 140 communicate with each other through one or more network connectivity devices, such as router 120 and gateway 130, among others. Router 120 facilitates communication between gateway 130 and application server 140, and in one or more examples, communication occurs using the Internet. In one or more examples, gateway 130 and application device 110 are connected to router 120 to facilitate communication between application device 110 within the private network and application server 140 outside the private network. It may be part of a private network such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), etc. with which the gateway 130 is communicating. Alternatively or additionally, communication between application device 110 and gateway 130 is through any wireless technology such as LAN, WAN, BLUETOOTH™, ZIGBEE™, Z-WAVE™. , or directly through a wire. In one or more examples, gateway 130 and router 120 are shown as separate devices in FIG. 3 but may be part of the same device.

In one or more examples, the gateway 130 converts data from the communication source (application device 110/application server) 140 format to the communication destination (application device 110/application server) format by: Facilitates communication between application device 110 and application server 140 .

Note that in one or more examples, gateway 130 may operate as a gateway for more than one IoT system. For example, application devices 110 may include a subset of application devices 110 that communicate with first application server 140, eg, to monitor/control temperature. At the same time, another subset of application devices 110 communicate with a second application server 140 via gateway 130 to monitor/control security, for example by detecting motion. It should be noted that examples other than those described herein are possible.

Additionally, gateway 130 facilitates setting up one or more IoT systems being implemented with application device 110 , for example, by configuring application device 110 . For example, configuring application device 110 may include setting one or more operating parameters, identifiers, login information, etc. for application device 110 . Alternatively or additionally, gateway 130 downloads and installs/updates firmware on application device 110 in response to commands received from application server 140 .

In one or more examples, gateway 130 provides an administrative console for administrators to set up the IoT system, including configuring application devices 110 . The administrator performs administrative tasks such as device initial configuration and setting up connections between the gateway 130 and the application server 140 through the administrative console. The administrator also configures the gateway itself via the management console.

As previously mentioned, computer monitors, keyboards, mice, and other such I/O devices are typically plugged directly into gateway 130 to access the management console. The I/O device is then used to log into the gateway OS. In one or more examples, the management console for gateway 130 may be web-based, so an IP address for gateway 130 is determined, and then the management console for gateway 130 uses the IP address. is started. The management console can be accessed using a URL that is based on, eg, includes an IP address. The management console may be launched either from the gateway 130 itself or from a remote third device, in one or more examples. However, under some circumstances, as described herein, this is not a desirable process for accessing the gateway's management console because the gateway 130 is physically inaccessible. Alternatively, or additionally, even if the gateway 130 is accessible, the use of I/O devices such as screens or keyboards adds cost to the deployment of the gateway. Alternatively or additionally, gateway 130 may be configured to prevent outside elements from entering gateway 130, for example, biohazardous substances or any other substances entering gateway 130 in biomedical laboratories, for example. To prevent entry, or to prevent dust, water vapor, particulates, or any other material from entering the gateway 130 in an industrial setting, it may not include pluggable ports. The technical solutions described herein address such technical difficulties.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, administration device 150 facilitates accessing the management console of gateway 130 without physically plugging into gateway 130 . In one or more examples, network 115 may include gateway 130 and application device 110 . Accordingly, administration device 150 may not be able to communicate directly with application device 110 to set one or more operating parameters of application device 110 . Administration device 150 wirelessly determines the unique identifier associated with gateway 130 and uses gateway resolver 160 to determine the IP address of gateway 130 .

Gateway resolver 160 is a computer, such as a server. Gateway resolver 160 receives a request from administration device 150 to provide an IP address for gateway 130 based on gateway 130's unique identifier. Gateway resolver 160 uses gateway identification data repository 170 to determine the IP address corresponding to the unique identifier.

Gateway identification data repository 170 includes data structures, such as tables, that maintain mappings between gateway IP addresses and unique identifiers. Gateway identity data repository 170 contains such mappings for multiple gateways, which can be accessed to determine the IP address of one of the gateways via a request to gateway resolver 160. should be noted. Although gateway identity data repository 170 and gateway resolver 160 are shown as separate devices in FIG. 3, in one or more examples the two are part of a single system/device. It should also be noted that In one or more examples, administration device 150 and gateway resolver 160 communicate over a communication network, such as the Internet, where administration device 150 receives an IP address, URL, or other Know the access parameters such as the access parameters of

In one or more examples, gateway resolver 160 provides the corresponding IP address for the unique identifier of gateway 130 only if administration device 150 is a trusted device. For example, administration device 150 may be a trusted device if the credentials associated with administration device 150 are known or authenticated by gateway resolver 160 . For example, the credential may include a unique identifier for host device 150, such as a MAC address, serial number, phone number, or other such parameter. Alternatively or additionally, credentials may include a username, password, fingerprint, face, or other biometric identifier associated with host management device 150 .

After verifying or authenticating with such credentials, gateway resolver 160 may provide the IP address of gateway 130 to administration device 150 . The administration device 150 also uses the IP address to access the management console of the gateway 130, eg, by generating a URL or other access location for the management console based on the IP address. Alternatively, in one or more examples, gateway resolver 160 determines the URL or access location for the management console of gateway 130 and transmits the access location to administration device 150 . Alternatively, in one or more examples, after determining the IP address, gateway resolver 160 requests and receives from gateway 130 to generate and/or provide the administrative console access location. The obtained access position is transferred to the operation management device 150 .

Thus, the system 100 facilitates wirelessly accessing the management console of the gateway 130 without plugging into the gateway 130, and the management console is used to configure the IoT setup.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example system 200 in accordance with one or more embodiments. System 200 may be a communication device, such as a computer. For example, system 200 may be a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a phone such as a smart phone, a server computer, or any other device that communicates over network 265 . System 200 includes hardware such as electronic circuitry. In one or more examples, system 200 includes any one or more of gateways 130, application servers 140, administration devices 150, gateway resolvers 160, or application devices 110 in FIG. Any one or more of the devices shown.

System 200 includes, among other components, one or more processors such as processor 205 , memory 210 coupled to memory controller 215 , and peripheral or control devices communicatively coupled via local I/O controller 235 . Includes input device 245 and/or output device 240 . These devices 240 and 245 may include, for example, battery sensors, position sensors, indicator/identification lights, and the like. Input devices such as conventional keyboard 250 and mouse 255 may be coupled to I/O controller 235 . I/O controller 235 may be, for example, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections known in the art. The I/O controller 235 may have additional elements omitted for simplicity such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers to enable communication.

I/O devices 240, 245 may be, for example, disk and tape storage, network interface cards (NICs) or modulators/demodulators (for accessing other files, devices, systems or networks), wireless It may further include devices that communicate both inputs and outputs, such as frequency (RF) or other transceivers, telephone interfaces, bridges, routers, and the like.

Processor 205 is a hardware device for executing hardware instructions or software, particularly those stored in memory 210 . Processor 205 may be a custom-made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor of a plurality of processors associated with system 200, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set). , microprocessor, or other device for executing the instructions. Processor 205 includes cache 270, which includes an instruction cache to accelerate executable instruction fetches, a data cache to accelerate data fetches and stores, and virtual physical address translation for both executable instructions and data. may include, but are not limited to, a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) used to accelerate Cache 270 may be organized as a hierarchy of more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

Memory 210 may include volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM) such as DRAM, SRAM, and SDRAM) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), electronic erasure). programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), tape, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), disk, diskette, cartridge, cassette, etc.) . Additionally, memory 210 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, or other types of storage media. Note that memory 210 may have a distributed architecture, where various components are located remotely from each other but may be accessed by processor 205 .

The instructions in memory 210 may include one or more separate programs, each of which includes an ordered list of executable instructions for performing logical functions. In the example of FIG. 2, the instructions in memory 210 include a suitable operating system (OS) 211 . Operating system 211 may essentially control the execution of other computer programs, providing scheduling, input/output control, file and data management, memory management, and communications control and related services.

Additional data, including, for example, instructions or other retrievable information for processor 205 , may be stored in storage 220 . Storage 220 may be a storage device such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive. The instructions stored within memory 210 or storage 220 may include those that enable a processor to perform one or more aspects of the systems and methods described herein.

System 200 may further include display controller 225 coupled to user interface or display 230 . In some embodiments, display 230 may be an LCD screen. In other embodiments, display 230 may include multiple LED status lights. In some embodiments, system 200 may further include network interface 260 for coupling to network 265 . Network 265 may be an IP-based network for communication between system 200 and external servers, clients, etc. over broadband connections. In embodiments, network 265 may be a satellite network. Network 265 transmits and receives data between system 200 and external systems. In some embodiments, network 265 may be a managed IP network operated by a service provider. Network 265 may be implemented in a wireless fashion, using wireless protocols and technologies such as, for example, WiFi, WiMax, satellite, or others. Network 265 may also be a packet-switched network such as a local area network, wide area network, metropolitan area network, the Internet, or other similar type of network environment. Network 265 may be a fixed wireless network, wireless local area network (LAN), wireless wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN), virtual private network (VPN), intranet or other suitable network. network system and may include equipment for receiving and transmitting signals.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an example method for accessing a management console of an IoT gateway, in accordance with one or more embodiments. The method may be implemented using system 100 . The method includes, at 410, the administration device 150 determining whether management console access information for the gateway device 130 is accessible. For example, gateway device 130 may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) device (not shown) that outputs access information about gateway device 130 . Alternatively or additionally, the access information may be a near field communication such as BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY (BLE™), ZIGBEE™, Z WAVE™, or any other such near field communication. It may be available from gateway device 130, which may be accessible via a protocol. Alternatively or additionally, access information may be available from gateway device 130 via wireless communication protocols such as BLUETOOTH™, WIFI™, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, access information may be available from gateway device 130 in the form of code, text, images, or any other form that can be captured by administration device 150 . For example, the access information may be part of a barcode, quick response (QR) code, etc., placed as a sticker, for example, on the gateway device 130 or at a predetermined location associated with the gateway device 130. may It should be noted that the above are just a few examples of providing access information by the gateway device 130 in a wireless and non-pluggable fashion, and other techniques may be used in other embodiments.

If the access information is accessible, the administration device 150 receives the access information from the gateway device 130 at 420 . In one or more examples, administration device 150 may capture access information from gateway device 130 using a camera, scanner, or other such input device. Alternatively or additionally, administration device 150 captures access information from gateway device 130 over one or more wireless methods such as those described above.

The access information includes at least two parameters, the unique identifier (gateway ID) of gateway device 130 and the access location of gateway resolver 160 . For example, if the access information is a QR code, the QR code is constructed in the URL format of the website, which points to the gateway resolver 160 and the gateway ID, the gateway resolver 160 can retrieve the gateway ID from the access information. In some way, it is appended as part of the URL. For example, the gateway ID is part of the access information as a predefined parameter value that can be retrieved when the gateway resolver 160 receives a request from the administration device 150 . This is because the method further includes, at 430, sending a request to gateway resolver 160 using the access information. If the access information is not accessible from the gateway device 130, the administration device 150 uses a predefined location of the gateway resolver 160, such as a URL access location, or an application programming interface (API) call, etc., at 425. to send the request to gateway resolver 160 . The administration device 150 may provide the gateway ID as a parameter of the request, where the gateway ID is again manually entered by the administration device 150 administrator or another user.

A gateway ID may be a unique identifier for gateway device 130 , such as a MAC address, a serial number, a unique string of digital characters, or any other unique identifier for gateway device 130 .

Upon receiving the request from the administration device 150, the gateway resolver 160 determines 440 the IP address of the gateway device 130 based on the gateway ID. In one or more examples, gateway resolver 160 uses mappings in gateway identity data repository 170 to determine the IP address of gateway device 130 using the gateway ID retrieved from the request.

The method further includes redirecting the administration device 150 to the URL of the management console of the gateway device 130 by the gateway resolver 160 at 450 . In one or more examples, the gateway resolver constructs the URL of the management console and then redirects the administration management device 150 to the URL. The URL may be constructed with a predetermined URL format that the gateway device 130 uses to launch the management console via, for example, a web-based UI. Alternatively or additionally, the gateway resolver 160 requests the gateway device 130 for the URL of the management console using the IP address of the gateway device 130 and directs the administration management device 150 to the URL from the gateway device 130. redirect to

Once redirected, the administration device 150 adjusts 460 the settings of the gateway device 130 with the management console. The adjusted settings include settings for the operation of gateway device 130 and/or application device 110 and/or the operation of the IoT system including application device 110 and application server 140 .

In an example scenario, an administration device 150 such as a mobile device scans a website (URL) QR code attached to the gateway device 130 to access the gateway management console. The QR code contains the URL of the gateway resolver 160 and the unique ID of the gateway. When the operation management device 150 scans the QR code, it sends a request such as an HTTP request to the gateway resolver 160. The gateway resolver 160 extracts the unique ID of the gateway from the request URL, and uses this unique ID to Determine the IP address of the gateway from repository 170 . The gateway resolver 160 (or gateway device 130) constructs the management console URL and redirects the administration device 150 to the management console via the console URL.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of an example method for configuring a gateway in an IoT system, according to one or more embodiments. The method includes activating the gateway device 130 at 510 . Gateway device 130 is connected to and powered by network 265, for example, either by network cable or wirelessly. Upon powering up, gateway device 130 determines a unique identifier assigned to gateway device 130 at 512 . For example, the unique identifier can be determined by reading the gateway ID from a predetermined location such as a memory address, parameter value (eg, serial number, MAC address). A unique identifier can be any string, etc., that is unique among all deployed gateways.

Additionally, the gateway device 130 executes the management console at 514 and makes the management console accessible with a URL using a predetermined URL format. For example, the URL format may be https://(gateway IP address)/gateway-management. Note that in other embodiments, the URL format may differ from the previous example. The gateway device 130 begins typical operation at 520 , which includes transferring data between the application device 110 and the corresponding application server 140 at 528 .

Further, the method includes executing IP reporting code on the gateway device 130 at 526 , the gateway device 130 sending the IP address of the gateway device 130 to the gateway resolver 160 . In one or more examples, the access location of the gateway resolver 160 is predetermined and sent to the gateway as a preset, such as, for example, in the form of the IP address of the gateway resolver 160, at a predetermined memory address, or as a parameter value. included. The IP reporting code accesses the access location of the gateway resolver 160 and at 526 sends the IP address of the gateway device 130 to the gateway resolver 160 along with the unique identifier of the gateway 130 . For example, gateway device 130 sends a message in a format such as {“Unique ID”: “6c4008ae8786”, “IP”: “192.168.0.28”}. It should be noted that the format used may be different in other embodiments. Gateway resolver 160 updates the mapping in data repository 170 between gateway identifiers and gateway IP addresses.

In one or more examples, gateway device 130 reports an IP address to gateway resolver 160 at 522 each time an IP address is assigned to gateway device 130 . For example, when gateway device 130 is powered on and connected to network 265 and assigned an IP address, gateway device 130 reports the IP address to gateway resolver 160 . Additionally, if network 265 is reset and the IP address of gateway device 130 changes, the updated IP address is reported to gateway resolver 160 along with the gateway ID described herein. Alternatively or additionally, the gateway device 130 sends periodic messages with the gateway ID and gateway IP address to the gateway resolver at 524 according to a predetermined timer. Thus, gateway identification data repository 170 has the latest IP address of gateway device 130 mapped to the gateway ID of gateway device 130 .

Further, the method includes configuring 530 the gateway device 130 with the administration device 150 . Configuring includes providing management console access information to the administration device 150 at 532 . As described herein, access information is provided wirelessly. The access information includes at least a gateway resolver access location such as a gateway ID and a URL, for example in the form of a QR code or the like. The administration device 150 uses the gateway ID to resolve the management console URL via the gateway resolver 160 as described herein.

The method further includes, at 534, receiving a request from the administration management device 150 to access the management console at a URL associated with the management console. As described herein, the URL uses a predetermined format and may be constructed by gateway resolver 160 or provided to gateway resolver 160 by gateway device 130 . Gateway resolver 160 redirects administration device 150 to the management console URL.

The method further includes adjusting 536 settings of the gateway device 130 and/or IoT settings of, for example, the application device 110 as per instructions received via the management console.

The method enables the gateway device 130 to wirelessly access the management console of the gateway device 130 and configure the gateway device 130 to operate in an IoT system. It facilitates keeping gateway resolvers informed of any changes to IP addresses. It should be noted that the management console also facilitates adjusting IoT system settings, such as operating parameters of the application device 110 . For example, the management console may facilitate changing communication protocols, application servers, captured measurements, measurement frequency, or any other such operational parameters of application device 110 .

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of an example method for accessing a management console of a gateway in an IoT system, according to one or more embodiments. The method includes, at 610 , receiving identification information from gateway device 130 by gateway resolver 160 . The identification information includes the gateway ID and IP address of gateway device 130, as described herein. The identification information may be received when the gateway device 130 powers up, experiences a network reset, or is assigned an updated IP address for any other reason, or a combination thereof. .

The method further includes updating data repository 170 by gateway resolver 160 at 620 . The update includes, at 622, retrieving the gateway ID and gateway IP address from the received identification information. In one or more examples, the two parameters are predetermined locations or predetermined portions of the received identification information. Gateway resolver 160 checks at 624 whether the gateway ID already exists in data repository 170 which maintains a mapping between gateway IDs and gateway IP addresses. If the gateway ID does not exist in the data repository 170, then at 626 a new entry is created in the mapping, the entry mapping the gateway ID received in the identification information to the gateway IP address. If the gateway ID already exists in the entry in data repository 170, then at 628 the entry is updated with the gateway IP address received in the identification information. The data repository 170 thus contains the latest gateway IP addresses.

Further, the method includes, at 630 , receiving a request from the administration device 150 to resolve administrative access information by the gateway resolver 160 . As described herein, administration device 150 may transmit requests in response to receiving access information from gateway device 130 . Alternatively or additionally, the administration device 150 sends a request with manual entry for the gateway ID.

In one or more examples, gateway resolver 160 authenticates 640 that the request was received from trusted administration device 150 . For example, authentication may include ensuring that the managed device 150 is one from a predetermined list of managed devices. For example, the access information received from the administration device 150 also includes verification information about the administration device 150 . For example, the verification information includes identification of the managed device, such as MAC address, serial number, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, the verification information includes credentials such as digital certificates using one or more verification techniques such as public key certificates or any other security technique. Alternatively or additionally, the verification information may be a username and password combination, biometric information, or any other such information associated with the user of host device 150 sending the request to gateway resolver 160. Contains data.

If the administration device 150 is not a trusted device, the gateway resolver will not proceed with the method and the administration device 150 will be prevented from accessing the management console of the gateway device 130 . If the administration device 150 is a trusted device, the gateway resolver 160 determines 650 the access location, such as the URL, of the gateway management console.

Determining the gateway management console URL includes parsing access information from the request to further retrieve the gateway ID at 652 . Gateway resolver 160 checks 654 whether data repository 170 contains a mapping entry for the gateway ID. If the entry does not exist, gateway resolver 160 indicates an error condition to administration device 150 at 654 . If a mapping entry for the gateway ID is retrieved from the data repository 170, the gateway resolver determines 656 the gateway IP address from the mapping.

The method further includes, at 658, obtaining the URL of the gateway device 130 using the gateway IP address from the mapping. In one or more examples, obtaining the URL includes gateway resolver 160 constructing the URL using a predetermined format for gateway device 130, as described herein. . In one or more examples, different gateway devices may use different corresponding predetermined formats. Accordingly, in one or more examples, data repository 170 may store predetermined formats for URL generation for each gateway device 130 in mapping entries. Alternatively, gateway resolver 160 sends a request to gateway device 130 to provide a predetermined format for URL construction. Based on a predetermined format for the gateway device 130, the gateway resolver generates a URL for the gateway management console.

Alternatively, in one or more examples, gateway resolver 160 sends a request to gateway device 130 using the gateway IP address retrieved from the mapping entry, the request is for the gateway management console URL. is. In response, gateway device 130 provides a URL for gateway management.

The method further includes, at 660 , redirecting the administration device 150 to the gateway management console URL in response to the request to resolve the access information sent by the administration device 150 . The administration device 150, when redirected to the URL, was associated with one or more operating parameters of the gateway device 130, the application device 110, or the operation of the IoT system of which the application device 110 is a part. It is possible to provide instructions for adjusting other parameters.

The technical solution described herein facilitates accessing the management console of a physically inaccessible IoT gateway device through a port or other pluggable hardware. Moreover, the technical solutions described herein facilitate lowering the cost of setting up IoT-based systems. The technical solutions described herein improve IoT-based systems by facilitating the use of accessible gateways or gateways without accessible pluggable ports, which It enables IoT systems to be used in settings with such requirements, such as in the context of medical, industrial applications, and the like. Moreover, since pluggable ports in the gateway increase the size of the gateway, the technical solution improves the IoT system by facilitating the reduction of the size of the gateway.

The technical improvements described herein also do not use a tree structure that can be used by a name server to resolve a computer's IP address, and the technical improvements described herein: It uses a gateway resolver, which is a centralized IP service server for resolving gateway IP addresses. The gateway's IP address can be either a fixed IP or a dynamic IP. According to the technical solution described herein, the gateway periodically or in response to an event such as a network reset, the gateway resolver reports the IP address of the gateway to the URL resolver service it runs. Therefore, the technical solution uses an active binding between the gateway identifier and the gateway's management console URL, and the binding is unique (one-to-one) and subjective (resource owner, gateway, Periodic reporting is IP to the binding service server).

The technical solution may be a system, method, or computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration, or a combination thereof. The computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium having thereon computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to perform aspects of the present technical solution.

A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device capable of retaining and storing instructions for use by an instruction execution device. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, without limitation, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media include portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory ( EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), memory stick, floppy disk , mechanically encoded devices such as punch cards or raised structures in grooves having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, computer-readable storage media inherently include radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through fiber optic cables). , or as transitory signals, such as electrical signals transmitted over wires.

The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be transferred from a computer-readable storage medium to a respective computing/processing device or over a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a wireless network; or via a combination thereof to an external computer or external storage device. A network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, or edge servers, or combinations thereof. A network adapter card or network interface within each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and executes a computer readable program for storage on a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device. Transfer orders.

Computer readable program instructions for performing operations of the present technical solution include assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, for integrated circuits or in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk(R), C++, and procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages It may be either written source code or object code. The computer-readable program instructions may be implemented entirely on a user's computer, partially on a user's computer, partially on a user's computer and partially on a remote computer as a stand-alone software package, or remotely • May run entirely on a computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Alternatively, a connection may be made to an external computer (eg, over the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuits including, for example, programmable logic circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs) perform aspects of the present technical solution. To this end, the computer readable program instructions may be executed by utilizing the state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry.

Aspects of the present technical solution are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the technical solution. be. It is understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

These instructions are executed such that instructions executed by a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus produce means for performing the functions/acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams. Computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon may include an article of manufacture that includes instructions for implementing aspects of the functions/operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams. Additionally, these computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium to direct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, or other device, or combination thereof, to function in a particular manner. may be

Computer readable program instructions such that instructions executing on a computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device perform the functions/acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams. , also a sequence of operational steps loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process may be executed.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present technical solution. In this regard, each block of a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions containing one or more executable instructions to perform the specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may be executed in the reverse order depending on the functionality involved. . Each block in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, may be dedicated to performing a specified function or operation, or executing a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions. Note also that it may be implemented by a hardware-based system.

A second action may be said to be “in response to” a first action, regardless of whether the second action results directly or indirectly from the first action. The second action may occur at a significantly later time than the first action and may also be in response to the first action. Similarly, even if an intervening action occurs between the first action and the second action, and one or more of the intervening actions directly causes the second action to be performed. Even so, the second action may be said to be in response to the first action. For example, if a first action sets a flag, and then a third action initiates a second action each time the flag is set, then the second action can be in response to the first action. could be.

To clarify the use of public notice, and thereby to provide public notice, "at least one of <A>, <B>, ... and <N>" or " The phrases "at least one of <A>, <B>, ... <N> or combinations thereof" or "<A>, <B>, ... or <N> or combinations thereof" are broadly defined , and unless explicitly asserted to the contrary, A, B, . . . and N, superseding any other implied definition above or below. In other words, the phrase includes the elements A, B, . . . or any combination of one or more of N.

Any module, unit, component, server, computer, terminal, or device illustrated herein that executes instructions may be a storage medium, computer storage medium, or data storage such as, for example, a magnetic disk, optical disk, or tape. It is also understood that devices, such as devices (removable and/or non-removable), may include or have access to computer-readable media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. can contain. Such computer storage media may be part of, or accessible to or connectable to, a device. Any application or module described herein may be implemented using computer readable/executable instructions that may be stored or retained by such computer readable media.

The descriptions of various embodiments of technical features herein are presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are used to best describe the principles, practical applications, or technical improvements of the embodiments over those found in the market or otherwise disclosed herein by those skilled in the art. were chosen in order to make it possible to understand the embodiments presented.

Claims (9)

A method for configuring a gateway in an Internet of Things (IoT) system by computer information processing, comprising:
receiving, by a gateway resolver, a request to access a management console of the IoT system, the request including access information associated with the gateway of the IoT system, the request said receiving transmitted by a device;
determining, by the gateway resolver, an IP address of the gateway based on the access information;
Obtaining, by the gateway resolver, a management console URL based on the IP address, sending a request to the gateway using the IP address, and receiving the management console URL in response. obtaining a management console URL, including
redirecting, by the gateway resolver, the administration device to the management console URL in response to the request;
A method, including 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said access information includes a unique identifier for said gateway. Determining the IP address of the gateway includes retrieving the unique identifier and determining the IP address from a data repository that stores a mapping between the unique identifier and the IP address. 3. The method of claim 2. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the management console URL comprises using the IP address to construct the management console URL using a predetermined URL format. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said predetermined URL format is unique to said gateway, said predetermined URL format being determined using said unique identifier of said gateway. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the administration device in response to receiving the request. a system,
a memory device;
a processor coupled to the memory device;
and wherein each step of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is implemented by means of computer hardware. A computer program causing a computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-6. 9. A computer-readable storage medium having the computer program according to claim 8 recorded thereon.

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